Foal weaning methods of Finnish horse owners
| dc.contributor.advisor | Arney, David (advisor) | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Beck, Maëlle (advisor) | |
| dc.contributor.author | Åström, Kira | |
| dc.contributor.department | Chair of Clinical Veterinary Medicine | eng |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-05-28T09:16:55Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-05-28T09:16:55Z | |
| dc.date.defensed | 2025-06-04 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.description | Final Thesis Curriculum in Veterinary Medicine | eng |
| dc.description.abstract | In horse breeding, artificial weaning is an established practice that raises welfare concerns due to its observed stressfulness on foals. Artificial weaning occurs at critical stages in foal development and proceeds at a much faster rate than naturally. In an immature foal, the effects of a strong neuroendocrine stress response can lead to temporary growth stagnation, impaired immune function, alterations in the intestinal microbiota and the development of stereotypies. In Finland, foal weaning practices have not been surveyed amongst breeders, and this is the aim of this work with focus on assessing the state of foal well-being. Through an online survey that was shared on equestrian-themed social media groups, 165 Finnish horse breeders contributed to the study. A majority of breeders were found to initiate the weaning process after foals have turned eight months (52.1%), implement features of gradual weaning (60.0%) and ensure weaned foals have social contact during the weaning process (82.4%). Amongst breeders, years in practice and total number of raised foals was found to be significantly associated with some of the practiced weaning methods, in most cases displaying that less experienced breeders are more likely to use less stress-inducing foal weaning techniques. The results show that while most breeders seem to recognize the negative connotations of artificial weaning on foal welfare, methods in practice that largely ignore this still prevail in the Finnish horse industry. | eng |
| dc.description.abstract | Hobusekasvatuses on kunstlik võõrutamine väljakujunenud tava, mis tekitab heaoluga seotud probleeme, kuna see tekitab varssadele stressi. Erinevalt loomulikust võõrutamisest toimub kunstlik võõrutamine tavaliselt varsa arengu kriitilistes etappides ja palju kiiremini kui loomulik võõrutamine. Ebaküpsel varsal võivad tugeva neuroendokriinse stressireaktsiooni tagajärjed põhjustada ajutist kasvuseisakut, immuunfunktsiooni halvenemist, muutusi soolestiku mikrobiootas ja stereotüüpides. Soomes ei ole varssade võõrutamise tavasid hobusekasvatajate seas uuritud, mistõttu on selle uuringu eesmärk keskenduda varssade heaolu hindamisele. Uuringusse panustas 165 Soome hobusekasvatajat ratsutamisteemalistes sotsiaalmeediagruppides jagatud veebiküsitluse kaudu. Leiti, et enamik kasvatajaid alustab võõrutamist pärast varssade kaheksakuuseks saamist (52.1%), rakendab järkjärgulise võõrutamise elemente (60.0%) ja tagab võõrutatud varssade sotsiaalse kontakti võõrutamise ajal (82.4%). Kasvatajate seas leiti, et praktiseerimise aastate arv ja kasvatatud varssade koguarv olid oluliselt seotud mõnede praktiseeritud võõrutusmeetoditega, mis enamikul juhtudel näitab, et vähem kogenud kasvatajad kasutavad tõenäolisemalt vähem stressi tekitavaid varssade võõrutamise tehnikaid. Tulemused aga näitavad, et kuigi enamik kasvatajaid näib tunnistavat kunstliku võõrutamise negatiivset mõju varssade heaolule, on Soome hobumajanduses endiselt levinud meetodid, mis seda suures osas eiravad. | est |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10492/9832 | |
| dc.publisher | Eesti Maaülikool | |
| dc.rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess | eng |
| dc.rights | Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY NC ND 4.0) | eng |
| dc.rights.uri | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ | |
| dc.subject | magistritööd | eng |
| dc.subject | equine welfare | eng |
| dc.subject | mare-foal bond | eng |
| dc.subject | weaning stress | eng |
| dc.subject | survey | eng |
| dc.title | Foal weaning methods of Finnish horse owners | eng |
| dc.title.alternative | Soome hobuseomanike varssade võõrutamise meetodid | est |
| dc.type | Master Thesis | eng |
| rioxxterms.freetoread.startdate | 04.09.2025 |